There for You
by LadyLienDa
Summary: The overused but still fun trope - Keith gets bitten by some weird alien creature and decides to hide it from the team. You know what happens next. Includes plenty of hurt/comfort and Keith whump.
1. Of Course it Had to be Purple

Title inspired by _There for You_ by Flyleaf.

No, I'm not dead! I've been suffering from a Voltron-writer's block of sorts. I guess you could say it's for Keithtober, but I didn't bother to go off any specific prompts. It fills several, I suppose.

* * *

Keith didn't know when or how he'd gotten bitten, or even by what. If he had to guess, he supposed it must have happened a few quintants ago on that odd planet with the gross purple plants. As if seeing that stupid color every time they battled the Galra wasn't bad enough. The last movement had been such a blur of crazy missions, they were starting to run together in his mind.

What had they been doing on Angalea in the first place, Keith wasn't sure. Even a few quintants seemed like a lifetime ago. Was it the mission to destroy an Imperial outpost, or was it that field trip to gather medicinal herbs for Coran? Keith didn't remember and didn't really care.

He did remember they were in a forest of purple plants and trees that vaguely resembled mushrooms. And not the MarioKart ones either – these were tall and spindly, dripping with gross purple ooze and emitting an eerie purple glow. Why did it have to be purple? Couldn't it have been blue or orange, or even teal for once?

There had been other plants, too. One looked like an evil version of aloe vera, with huge, fat, black leaves bigger than Pidge. The leaves had serrated edges, and vaguely resembled something he might have seen in a videogame somewhere. Whatever. Hunk had discovered the hard way that the edges were much sharper than they looked, after he took one frond in his hand to examine it closer and it cut right through the thick Kevlar-like material of his flight suit. Of course, his warning came too late. Keith had already brushed against another one of those plants and torn his suit just below his ribcage. Thankfully, it was just a glancing touch and wasn't enough to break the skin, just tear a gash in his suit. Hunk's hand hadn't been so lucky. When they returned to the castle, both boys had developed a weird purple rash where the plant had touched their skin. But Coran, after examining a bioscan Pidge had done of the plant determined it was harmless and should pass in a few days.

Keith had thought that was the end of it. He'd repaired his flight suit (Allura clucked her tongue disapprovingly at how often the paladins had to do that) and sure enough, the rash had gone down after a few quintants. It was only after it began to disappear that he noticed the wound.

It was small, not much larger than a mosquito bite, and the swelling had been masked by the rash. Once the rash had gone down and the little spot persisted with its ugly purple color (again with the purple! Why did it have to be that evil color?!), he realized he must have come into contact with something else. Now that he thought about it, the planet had been home to several annoying, buzzing insect-creatures. Perhaps one of them had gotten him. Stupid space-mosquitoes.

Keith knew he should probably tell someone, at least Coran, about it to make sure it was nothing. But looking at the little, innocuous-looking spot, he decided it wasn't worth bothering Coran or Hope about it. It wasn't like him to make such a fuss over a mosquito bite. So he just covered it with the Altean version of a band-aid (at least those weren't purple) and tried not to itch at it beneath his shirt.

* * *

"Man, I'm still sore from that mission a few quintants ago!" Lance complained loudly during a joint training session later that movement. He bent over and stretched his long arms to touch his toes, wincing a little as he did.

"Which mission?" Pidge muttered, taking off her glasses and setting them neatly in the corner on top of Hope's duffel bag, where they wouldn't get smashed. "They've all been doozies lately."

"I agree." Hunk said. "But that one to Angalea was the worst so far. We didn't even find what we were there for in the first place! At least Hope got something out of it."

Over in the corner, Hope looked up from the flash grenades she'd made from the seed pods of a plant she'd come across in that strange purple mushroom forest. She was anxious to try them out during their training session.

"Yeah, all I got were more allergies." Said Pidge. As if to demonstrate her point, she sneezed twice into the crook of her elbow. Lance edged away from her, but he was smiling.

"Ew, don't get your germs on me!"

Pidge smirked. "Next time I'll be sure to sneeze right in your face."

"Only if you can reach it." Said Lance smugly, causing Pidge to growl in frustration.

"Guys, are we going to train or not?" Keith asked. He was tired of the banter and wanted to focus.

"Yeah, enough talk!" Said Hope, twirling her bo-staff restlessly.

"Okay, let's run through some basic drills before we turn on the gladiator." Said Shiro. "I want to make sure everyone's got them down before we move on."

"Sounds good to me." Said Hunk, picking at the bandage still wrapped around his left hand. "My form needs work."

"Mine's terrible." Said Hope. "I keep overextending myself and falling over!"

"Not as bad as Lance did that one time with the gladiator!" Said Pidge, grinning evilly. "It hit him right on the butt! I even got pictures."

Lance let out an undignified squawk of disbelief while Hunk and Hope snickered.

"Ooh, I've got to see this!" Said Hope. "Show me after we're done here!"

The light conversation halted as the group focused on their training. Keith fell into his usual routine – block, parry, thrust, duck, then block again, dodge, and thrust again. His mind narrowed to just the white walls and floors of the training deck and the soulless turquoise glare of the gladiator bot. He could hear the sounds of clashing weapons as the other paladins (plus Hope) battled their own robots. At some point, at a signal from Shiro, Hope threw one of her new flash grenades into the middle of the deck and the room was plunged into blinding silver light for a brief tick. Keith squinted his eyes, trying to see his opponent through the afterimages swimming around his vision. He managed to spot a glint off the gladiator's sword a tick before it swung towards his head. He dropped to the floor and aimed a kick at where he guessed the bot was standing. The resounding _clang_ of his boot on metal let him know his aim had been right.

"End training sequence!" Shiro shouted. Keith got to his feet, feeling a slight throb in his head as he did. Maybe he hadn't had enough water and dehydration was starting to make him dizzy. He looked around. Hope was leaning on her staff and frowning at the bomb in her hand, clearly displeased with the results. Hunk had fallen onto his back and hadn't bothered to get up. Pidge was still brandishing her bayard, but she was facing the opposite direction from where her bot had just been. Lance was rubbing his eyes and groaning.

"I think that flash did more to us than it did to the robots!" He snapped.

"That was the point." Said Shiro. "We need to practice for every situation, so we can be prepared. We never know what the Galra might spring on us."

"Well, nice to know how useless we'll all be if the Galra use one of these." Said Pidge. She sneezed again and wiped her nose with the back of her gloved hand.

"Of course Keith was able to keep his head." Said Lance with a snort of jealousy.

"Hey, it affected me just as much as you!" Keith retorted. "I've just got better reflexes, I guess."

"We'll work on it." Said Shiro. He turned to Hope. "Did it work like you wanted?"

Hope shrugged. "I've got the flash down, but it wasn't as bright as I wanted it to be. Galran eyes tend to be keener, don't they?"

"Well, at least we know they work on humans." Said Hunk from the floor. "I'm still seeing weird colorful shapes all over."

"Good work, everyone." Said Shiro, clapping Lance on the back with his left arm. "Go take a break. You deserve it."

Lance lit up at once. "Sweet, thanks!" He headed out the door without another word.

Keith strode over to the corner where he'd left his water bottle and towel. Hope and Pidge were arguing about the flash grenade as they picked up their extra gear and left the room.

"Well, maybe I could help if I was able to actually use any of your tech!" Pidge was saying. "But you just had to turn your interface into earrings and now I can't use them!"

"It's more practical than a clunky headdress." Hope said, gathering up the remainder of the prototype bombs into a bag. "It's not my fault you never got your ears pierced!"

Pidge sneezed again, which prevented her from making a disparaging reply.

Keith followed them out the door. As he rounded the corner into the hall, his head throbbed again with the sudden movement. He paused for a fraction of a second, blinking in surprise.

"You alright, Keith?" Shiro asked from behind him. Of course Shiro would notice if anything went even slightly wrong. If Keith so much as sneezed Shiro was concerned. Keith would be annoyed if he wasn't touched.

"Fine." He answered. "Still reeling from that flash bomb."

"Yeah, me too." Said Shiro. "Remember, dinner is in a few vargas. We're meeting those representatives from Lenvoth."

Keith groaned. "Great. More social interaction."

"It'll be fine. Be glad you're not Allura."

"Yeah, whatever you say."

They each headed to their separate rooms. Keith went straight to the shower, pulling off his paladin armor and peeling away his sweaty flight suit. The Altean band-aid he'd placed over the odd mosquito-bite had lost most of its stickiness, so he tugged it all the way off – and dropped it in shock.

Instead of going away, like Keith had expected it to, the bite had instead darkened to an alarming shade of deep reddish-purple, almost black. The affected area had expanded to the size of a quarter, and he could see dark veins spreading out from around it. Keith shuddered at the sight of it, wondering how it had escaped his notice for two days. It had itched like crazy the first day, then just stopped, and he'd forgotten all about it. An experimental prod found the area tender, but not throbbing with pain. Relief flooded over him as he stepped into the hot shower. Perhaps the water would help soothe it. He'd find some anti-swelling cream later and that would be the end of it. He was probably just allergic to whatever bit him, like Pidge with all the plants they'd encountered. Yeah, that must have been it.


	2. This Just Keeps Getting Better

A/N: This is set sometime after Clone Shiro comes back in the middle of season 3.

* * *

 _This Just Keeps Getting Better_

It wasn't until the end of the next day that Keith began to get concerned. Instead of going away, like he'd hoped, the bite had continued to expand, spreading from a quarter-sized black spot to an ugly blotch about twice its original size. It was now painful to the touch, which was especially aggravating, since it also itched. To make matters worse, the headache he'd felt at the end of training the day before hadn't gone away, and he suspected it hadn't been caused by the flash bomb at all.

Keith knew he should probably tell someone, but ever since the discovery that he was part Galra, he'd felt even more awkward around his friends than before. The team, especially Hope and Shiro, had been very understanding and accepting, but it was still hard to talk about the Galra without the funny little voice in the back of his head going _that includes you, too_. What if his reaction to this bite was because of his Galra genes? What if they had no way to treat it? What if the bug had bit him because it only fed on Galra, and now he was going to spread whatever illness he'd caught to the other paladins?

 _I'm not going to be a burden on them._ He decided. _I've always done fine on my own. I can handle this just like I've handled every other illness. No need to cause any more trouble than I already have._

A rap on his bedroom door startled him, causing him to drop the metal container of anti-itch cream he'd smuggled out of the infirmary. It made a loud clang as it hit the bathroom floor.

"Keith!" Came Lance's voice from the hallway. "Come on! The representatives from Vosanus are almost here! Allura will have your butt if you're late again!"

"I wasn't late last time, it was you!" Keith retorted, chuckling to himself when there was an angry huff from outside the door.

"Whatever! Just make sure you're up at the main hall in the next few dobashes!"

"Don't need you to tell me, Lance. See you in a bit."

Hastily smearing a bit of cream onto the wound, he sighed in relief as the itching went away. Not wanting to piss off Allura (Lance had been right about that part), he hurriedly dressed in his Paladin armor and headed up to the main hall where they would be receiving their visitors. Was it just him, or did he feel colder than usual? Did someone turn down the heat in the hallways again? It wouldn't have been the first time.

* * *

Lance met Hope and Pidge on the way up to the main hall. Hope was wearing her gray, orange, and white Olkarian robes, which made Lance bristle with envy. Besides Allura and Coran, Hope was the only one who had any extra clothes to change into that weren't armor or pajamas. Since they couldn't wear their casual clothes for fancy parties, the paladins wore their armor. It wasn't as bad as the stiff uniform Lance remembered from the Garrison, but after three vargas at a dinner party the tight-fitting armor often had him eyeing the draping, loose fabric of Hope's clothes with jealousy.

"Oh, decided to join us at the right time, Lance?" Pidge asked, adjusting her glasses with a smug smirk. Beside her, Hope snorted with laughter and hid her mouth behind her hand.

Lance growled. "Shut up! That was Keith!"

"Oh, so it wasn't you yesterday who forgot what time it was, then burst into the dinner party still wearing his face mask?" Pidge asked savagely. "Sorry, I got you two mixed up."

Hope burst out laughing, abandoning her efforts to be polite. "Sorry, Lance. I think Pidge won that round."

"Ha ha." Lance muttered, scratching the back of his neck. He wasn't about to let on that he'd actually found it funny; it would only egg Pidge on.

"Anyway, where is the mullet?" the shorter girl asked.

'Still in his room." Answered Lance. "No idea what he's doing, but I warned him Allura wouldn't be happy if he was late."

"He has been spending lots of time in his room lately." Pidge observed.

"We're all still adjusting to having Shiro back." Said Hope. "His disappearance affected Keith the most, so I wouldn't be surprised he's still having trouble registering that his brother's really back for good this time. Poor guy's emotions have been a yo-yo lately."

"Really?" Lance said. "I haven't seen any of that. He's just back to the same Keith he was before Shiro left. Angry lone wolf."

Hope lowered her head and sighed. "Of course he looks like that to everyone else. He doesn't want anyone to see."

"See what?" Pidge asked, caramel-colored eyes wide with concern.

"Think about it." Hope said, her voice taking on that sharp tone she usually used when explaining something sensitive. "Back before you all wound up here, Shiro disappeared from the Kerberos mission, leaving Keith behind with no one to watch his back. Then he suddenly comes back, and you all end up here in space. Then Shiro disappears again, yanking the rug out from under Keith once again. Now he's back for the second time. I think Keith's having a hard time processing all this. You saw how distraught he was when Shiro disappeared. It shook all of us. Keith's just not quite adjusted yet, like he's not sure Shiro's truly back, and for good this time. Imagine the toll it's taken on him emotionally. And on top of that, add in the fact that he's part-Galra and you've got a recipe for a very unstable paladin."

"Well, when you put it like that…" Pidge muttered.

"Wow, Hope." Said Lance. "Didn't know you were the resident Keith expert."

A bit of color rose in Hope's warm brown cheeks and her gaze dropped to the floor. "W-well, I guess he's just not comfortable sharing with everyone. Remember, he's not exactly the social type."

"Neither am I," said Pidge, "but I don't hide away in my room or the training deck all the time."

"No, but your computer is just as bad." Said Lance, punching her lightly on the shoulder. "But I know what you mean. He could stand to be around us a bit more."

"I never said it was a healthy coping mechanism." Said Hope, picking at the hem of the orange sash draped across her shoulder. "But try to understand, all the same."

Any more conversation was halted when the door they were all standing behind opened to reveal Allura standing in the main hall with her hands on her hips.

"What are you all doing here in the hallway?" She demanded. "The Vosanian king and his advisors are almost here! And where's Keith?"

"Coming!" Came a voice from behind them. Keith puffed up to them, looking flushed.

"Dude, you okay?" Pidge asked as they followed Allura to join Hunk, Shiro, and Kolivan in the entrance hall. "You don't look so good."

"I'm fine." Keith answered, pushing past the group to stand between Shiro and Kolivan. Pidge, Hope, and Lance exchanged suspicious glances before taking their places to welcome the Vosnian guests.


	3. It Hits the Fan

Shorter chapter while I work out the details of the fallout from Keith's choice...

* * *

 _It Hits the Fan…_

Dinner was as boring as ever. Hunk fidgeted in his seat and tried not to think about how uncomfortable his armor was, how tired he was after spending the whole day in the kitchen, and how much longer this was going to go on. At least he wasn't as restless as Lance, who squirmed like a one-year-old in a high chair and kept leaning over to whisper things into Pidge's ear. Hope, in turn, would lean over Pidge and discretely try to shush Lance, not realizing she was making an even bigger distraction. Shiro put a hand to his forehead and sighed with quiet exasperation at the antics of his team.

Predictably, Allura remained as prim as ever. Whether she was oblivious to the minor disturbances Lance and Hope were causing or was simply ignoring them was impossible to tell. She spoke in an even, almost conversational tone, interjecting Kolivan's speech about the Coalition and the work of the Blades at just the right times. The Vosnian king and his emissaries were thoroughly enraptured.

Hunk, meanwhile, tried to keep his thoughts focused on interesting things – the fact that his pasta dish with alfredo sauce had turned out spectacularly, the loose fold on Kolivan's suit that kept waggling whenever he moved his arm, Keith's flushed and vacant face…

Wait – what?

Not wanting to draw attention, he leaned over ever so slightly to get a look at Keith, who sat directly to his left, keeping his face passive. Keith was sitting slumped in his chair, looking like he was losing a fight to stay awake.

Well, so did Pidge, but for entirely different reasons. Whereas Pidge was simply drowsy, there was a clear grimace of pain etched across Keith's face, though it was clear he was trying to conceal it. What in the world had happened? Keith would normally be chomping at the bit by this point, even more restless than Lance, though usually better at hiding it. But now he stared dazedly at the table, and there was a thin sheen of sweat on his pale forehead.

It was clear to Hunk he wasn't the only one to notice, either. A few of the Vosnian dignitaries were beginning to point their veined blue hands and whisper across the table, each of their third eyes trained on the red paladin while the other two focused on each other. Their chattering voices were like dry reeds rattling in the wind. Keith took no notice of this, which was even more concerning.

Alarmed, Hunk looked over at Allura, who continued on, evidently oblivious to the current status of her Red Paladin. Shiro hadn't noticed either, even with Keith sitting directly to his right. His eyes were focused on Kolivan, who paced before the holographic display he was using. Hunk would have found it funny – he looked like a professor with a space-PowerPoint – if the situation hadn't just become so dire. He looked to his left and met eyes with Hope across the tops of Pidge and Lance's heads, both of which were resting in their hands on the table. Her face was bristling with exasperation, and Hunk watched as she tapped her wrist to indicate 'time', then inclined her head in Kolivan's direction and made a slashing motion across her throat.

Hunk shook his head, letting the alarm show on his face before discretely jabbing a thumb to his right at Keith, who still sat slumped in his seat. Hope's eyes widened, and she covered her mouth with both hands.

Hunk's heart was beginning to pound, and he nudged Keith experimentally, trying to get a reaction.

"Keith?" He whispered. "You okay?"

Keith's eyes were lifeless, glassy. Okay, this was really bad. Now, how to interrupt the dinner politely without causing a panic? The Vosnians were purportedly huge germophobes. Coran had had to go to great lengths to properly sanitize everything for the meeting. If the guests found out Keith was sick, which Hunk was willing to bet the last Nebosian-cream pie that he was, there was no telling what could happen. But they couldn't just keep sitting like this. Not while Keith was this way. Hunk tried to get Shiro's attention, but it was hard to do so discretely. After trying unsuccessfully, he turned back to Hope, who was looking at him with wide eyes.

 _What happened_?" She mouthed.

Hunk put a finger to his forehead, miming 'sick.'

Hope's eyes widened even more, if possible, and she gestured at him as if to ask _what do we do?!_

They both glanced over at the Vosnian dignitaries, who were still gossiping in hushed voices. Hunk looked wildly back and forth between Keith, Shiro, the dignitaries, and Hope. What to do?! His head was beginning to spin.

"Hope, Hunk?" Came Allura's sharp voice suddenly, stabbing through his thoughts like they were butter. "Is there something you'd like to share with the rest of us?" Her face was tight, and her lips were pressed together in a fine line.

Before Hunk or Hope could say anything, Shiro's voice cut in. He seemed to have finally noticed Keith's condition, and was looking at his younger brother with alarm, gently patting his shoulder.

"Actually, Princess –" he began, but at that moment, Keith finally lost his battle and slumped forward, his head knocking against the table with a solid _thump_ and a _crash_ of dishes.

 _Crap._

There was a deafening scraping of chairs as everyone leapt to their feet. The Vosnian guests hurried backwards in alarm with fluttering silken sleeves and shrill cries of dismay. Hope was across the room in an instant, helping Shiro and Hunk pick Keith gently off his chair and lower him to the floor a good distance away. Lance and Pidge, now that something was going on, blinked away their sleepiness and moved to hover anxiously behind Hope, who was now kneeling at Keith's side as Shiro turned him over onto his back. Hunk, recovering from a momentary brain fog, grabbed a napkin off the table and began to wipe the half-eaten alfredo from Keith's face and chestplate.

"What has happened?" Allura demanded, looking back and forth between the paladins and the dignitaries on opposite ends of the room. Even Kolivan looked concerned, and joined the anxious throng around Keith, who lay as still as death on the floor.

"Help me get his armor off!" Shiro ordered, ignoring Allura for the time being. Hunk and Shiro set to work in removing Keith's breastplate and arm guards and flinging them aside.

"Keith, can you hear me?" Shiro was saying frantically, but the boy's face was slack. He'd slipped into unconsciousness.

"He's unresponsive!" Someone, probably Lance, exclaimed.

"Everyone out of the way!" Hope shouted, her voice strong despite the fear laced through it. She tipped Keith's head back, then placed two fingers at his jawline. Time seemed to slow for a few ticks while everyone waited, frozen, until she sighed in relief and removed her fingers.

"His pulse is weak, but steady." Hope reported. "Breathing is also weak, but-"

She cut off with a cry of horror as Keith began convulsing.

"Back up!" Lance barked suddenly, waving his hands, and everyone leaped backwards. "Don't touch him! Wait until he stops!"

The worst part wasn't that they could do nothing to help (although that was certainly awful), but that Keith's face was still vacant and empty, like he was asleep, despite his body jerking horribly. After a few terrible moments, Keith finally stopped moving and went slack. Shiro and Hope quickly rolled him onto his side, and just in time, too. A stream of nasty-smelling bile dribbled from his mouth. Keith didn't react in the slightest.

Hunk became aware of Kolivan and Allura quietly ushering the distressed Vosnian guests out of the room just as Coran appeared out of thin air with a stretcher.

"Medbay. Now." Shiro ordered.

"Good idea." Hope said bitterly, and together with Lance they hoisted Keith onto the stretcher. He looked so pale lying there, still out cold. Hope hovered at his side as they began to move out the door and down the hall, trying to feel his forehead.

"He's got a fever." She said, her voice grim. "We've gotta move."

"What happened to him?" Pidge voiced the question on everyone's mind. "Is this some kind of allergic reaction?"

"We won't know until we get to the medbay." Said Coran. "Pidge, come ahead with me. We'll see if we can't set it up a bit before they get Keith there."

"Will do." Said Pidge, and they both sped off, leaving Hunk and Lance trailing behind a distraught Shiro pushing the stretcher and a laser-focused Hope still trying to assess poor Keith's condition whilst on the move.

 _Gosh, I hope he'll be alright._ Hunk thought grimly as they picked up the pace.


	4. Aftermath

This chapter was originally supposed to be longer, but it's late and I'm tired so here you go. Hope y'all like it.

Thanks for sticking with this story so far! I'm honored you would take the time to read it. :)

* * *

 _Aftermath_

When Keith awoke, it hit him like a swing from the gladiator's broadsword. In other words, stabbing pain in his head and side. He groaned and tried to sit up, but his body wouldn't respond. Even his vision was fuzzy. The soft white lights mixed with Altean turquoise don't give him any clue where he might be - the light in the castle was the same throughout. He was lying on something soft, but it wasn't his bed; that much he could tell, at least. He became aware of a movement to his left, and something chestnut and orange swam into view.

"Hope?" He murmured. His mouth felt like cotton.

"Close." Said a voice, sending a fresh spear of pain into Keith's head. He blinked furiously, trying to clear his vision. Pidge's turned-up nose and lightly-freckled complexion greeted him from beneath her bushy nest of feathery hair. She was perched on a folding chair beside the bed with her laptop on her knees and she had one of the castle's hideous orange blankets draped around her shoulders like a queen's robe, which explained why he'd initially mistaken her for Hope.

"Hey there, dumbass. Way to crash the party."

Yup. Definitely Pidge.

"S'okay, actually." She went on before his sluggish brain could form an answer. "Wasn't much of a party anyway. I probably would be glad that you got us out of there if it wasn't because you _lied_ about being _fine_." She set her laptop down on the floor and leaned closer to him, her honey-brown eyes glistening slightly. "What convinced you that was a good idea?"

Keith winced at the shrillness of her voice, which was like being stabbed in the head over and over. Some of that must have shown on his face, because she suddenly looked sheepish and lowered her voice.

"Sorry. You're still waking up. How are you?"

"Just dandy." Said Keith thickly. "Aside from a splitting headache, that is."

Pidge frowned and wrinkled her nose. "That shouldn't be the case. We loaded you up with so many painkillers, it's a wonder you're not on a massive trip by now."

"Well, maybe you want to check the dosage." Keith said, groaning as he tried to sit up but only succeeded in making his stomach churn. He looked around the medbay, which was deserted and dark except for the background turquoise nightlights, the light above Keith's cot, and Pidge's laptop. "Where is everyone?"

"Asleep." Said Pidge. "It's like, 2AM right now. We actually had to push Shiro out the door so he could get some rest. He was literally falling asleep on his feet."

"So you're here to keep an eye on me?"

"And to chew you out for being so _stupid_ since Hope is physically incapable of doing so herself. At least not in a way that'll make it through that thick skull of yours! Anyway, she should be here any minute. I paged her and Coran as soon as you started coming around."

Keith grunted, but said nothing. His mind was still in a fog. What did he remember last? Something about the weird bite on his side and feeling strange, then zoning out during Kolivan's speech. It was all hazy after that.

"Anyway," Pidge continued, seemingly undeterred by his silence, "what made you think hiding that bite was a good idea? Do you have any idea how much anxiety you've caused us?!"

Keith winced again, though it wasn't because of her voice. Her words had cut deep into his core, dealing a blow that, in that moment, hurt worse than his head or his side.

 _This is why I didn't tell them. I didn't want to worry them. I didn't want to cause trouble for anyone. But I ended up making it worse and causing even more trouble. They're all mad at me, I know it. I ruined the dinner party and probably the alliance with Vosanus as well. All I do is ruin things._

Pidge seemed to realize what she had said, and how it must have come across and clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Oh my gosh, Keith, I'm – I'm so sorry. I didn't even think about how that might sound to you and –"

"It's okay, Pidge." Keith said, managing a weak smile. "It was my fault. I was stupid and didn't tell anyone. I just didn't want to cause you all any trouble."

" _Cause trouble?_ " Pidge repeated, her jaw going slack. "Keith! Why would you think telling us about a bug bite would cause trouble?"

Keith didn't meet her gaze. If he'd been standing, he would have been looking at the floor. Instead, he focused on a scratch on the corner of the cot a little ways behind Pidge's chair. It was better than meeting her sharp glare.

"I didn't think…" He trailed off as his voice hitched. Swallowing, he tried again. "It wasn't so bad at first. I thought it would go away. No need to bother anyone about it."

"But then it got bigger?" Pidge asked.

Keith nodded, then instantly regretted it.

"And so you decided to keep quiet, is that it? Didn't want to bother anyone?"

"Yeah. And…"

"And what?" Pidge prompted, sounding concerned at the way his voice had dropped off. If he'd been able, Keith would have turned tail and run by now. His mouth was dry, and his heart was pounding in time with his skull. Could he really admit the real reason he hadn't wanted to tell anyone? Sure, what he'd already said was true, but it wasn't the whole truth. His face burned with guilt and he wanted something to knock him out again until this entire matter was over.

Fortunately, he was spared from answering Pidge's question by the timely arrival of Coran and Hope, who more or less burst into the room. Coran was wearing his typical Altean suit (seriously, did the man ever sleep? Maybe they should shift their focus from Shiro to Coran), but the coat was unbuttoned, and he was barefoot, which would have been comical in any other setting. Hope wore an Olkarian poncho over baggy sweatpants with worn-out knees and the red lion-shaped slippers that had come with every paladin's pajama set. She'd stolen them after discovering that Keith never wore them.

As Pidge had mentioned, they both had evidently been sleeping. Hope's hair was still in its nighttime braid and Coran's moustache was bushy and unkempt, resembling a lopsided, fuzzy, orange caterpillar stuck on his lip.

"How is he, Number Five?" He asked as he and Hope approached the bed.

Pidge rose and picked up the chair and her laptop. "Ask him yourself." She said simply, casting a frown in Keith's direction before moving out of the way to let Hope by. The other girl approached the bed and sat on the edge of it as Coran hovered nearby, no doubt checking whatever medical scanners they had set up.

"How are you feeling, Keith?" Hope asked, her earnest, open face peering into his own.

Keith grunted in response.

Hope smiled, though it was more like a grimace. "That bad, huh?"

"He mentioned something about the painkillers." Said Pidge from over by one of the other cots. "Something about upping the dosage?"

Hope frowned. "Keith, are you in pain?"

"…Yeah." There was too much excitement all at once, too many concerned faces. His body wasn't responding the way it should have – he couldn't even lift his head without feeling like he was being stabbed, and Pidge's questions still had him on edge.

Hope's face melted into a different kind of pain. She turned to Coran.

"What's the status on that painkiller we gave him? Should it be wearing off at this time?'

"Not according to the label." Said Coran, frowning at the scanner in his hand. "Of course there could be some lost potency given the age of the medicine…hang on, just give me a tick…" He trailed off into indecipherable muttering.

"While Coran's working on that, let's see if we can't make you more comfortable." Said Hope, fussing with the edge of the blanket covering him. "Are you thirsty? Nauseous? Too hot or cold?"

"I think I'm okay." Keith whispered.

Hope brightened. "Well, there's some good news."

Her forced cheer wasn't working. If anything, it only served to heighten Keith's distress even more. He hiccupped, causing a spasm of pain to shoot through his side.

Hope must have mistaken the distress for frustration, because she patted his shoulder gently. "I know it's uncomfortable, but you need to stay still until we make sure you're in the clear."

"What happened to me, anyway?"

Hope sighed and shifted a little on the bed, twisting her hands in her lap. "Well, to put it mildly, you got stung by some bug-creature from Angalea, and the venom was something similar to a bite from a brown recluse spider back on Earth. Except this stuff is incredibly slow-acting. You didn't start exhibiting severe symptoms until the venom had nearly compromised your immune system."

"So you're saying I got bitten by an alien equivalent of a venomous spider? Brilliant."

"Not bitten, stung." Coran corrected. "The stinger was stuck in your skin for the next several quintants, spreading its venom into your system. But don't worry! It's out now, and you've been dosed up with an assortment of antitoxins, so your body should be fully healed in a quintants or two!"

Keith shuddered to think there had been a stinger stuck in his side for that long. How had he not noticed it before?

Hope seemed to guess what he was thinking. "It was such a tiny thing, no bigger than, say, a mosquito, so it would have been invisible to the eye." She sighed again and shifted restlessly. "But that's all beside the point." She lay a hand on his shoulder again. "Why didn't you say something sooner?"

Pidge cleared her throat before Keith could answer. "I already chewed him out for that. He said he didn't want to burden anyone."

Hope looked back at Keith, her brow creasing with concern. "Is she right?"

"Yeah." Said Keith, and he was once again spared having to elaborate by Coran, who appeared at the right side of his bed holding a syringe.

"Alright, Number Four!" He said in that obnoxiously chipper voice. "Let's sit you up a bit so I can give you some more meds. Can't have you incapacitated by a mere headache, now can we?"

Keith could only manage a mumbled reply as the back of the bed was slowly raised so he was lying in a half-reclined position. At least now he could see everything without having to strain his neck or eyes.

"Did you figure out what the problem was?" Hope asked. "Why he's still feeling pain?"

"As a matter of fact, I did." Said Coran, twirling the syringe in one hand like a teenage garage band member with a drumstick. "This kind is tricky. We're out of the liquid stuff, which is much easier to get right. I didn't account for Keith's Galra genes. Those buggers certainly make things complicated, don't they?"

It was hard for Keith to keep his face straight. His bottom lip trembled, and he fought to keep it still, focusing on the stiff, but warm sheets beneath him, the organic weave of the poncho Hope was wearing, the soft Altean lighting – anything but the cold, hard knot sinking its way into his stomach. He blinked as his vision grew blurry.

 _I was right. My Galra heritage is nothing but a burden on everyone else. Nothing but trouble. Why am I even here, anyway? It's not like I did a good job as the Black Paladin. Now that Shiro's back, there's no reason for me to be here anymore. I'm just excess weight._

He felt the bed shift as Hope stiffened, drawing her lips together in a tight line not unlike Allura whenever the situation had just gotten worse.

"Coran," she said in a flat, tight voice, "let's just focus on getting Keith comfortable. He's still in a lot of pain and the sooner we get that medicine in him, the better."

"Of course, my dear girl." Said Coran fondly, a shadow of understanding passing over his face as he realized how his words had come across. "Apologies, Number Four. I meant no harm, truly."

As Coran prepped his right arm for the shot, where Keith noticed a bandage had already been affixed, Hope took hold of his other hand, almost unconsciously, and began rubbing her thumb across his knuckles.

"Keith, you do realize we'll never think of your Galra genes as an inconvenience. And there's no reason not to come to one of us when you need help." She paused when he didn't react. "You know that, right?"

Keith nodded wordlessly, but the tears were already slipping down his cheeks.


	5. Someone You Can Come To

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* * *

 _Someone You Can Come To_

As soon as Hope saw the glistening liquid on Keith's face, she knew she was in over her head. She turned to Pidge, who still perched in the folding chair some ways off, staring at her laptop. The light was glinting off her glasses and in the dim lighting, she looked like an anime villain.

"Pidge, will you go wake Shiro, please?"

The younger girl wordlessly set down her laptop and slipped away.

Sure, Shiro needed to sleep, but this went so much deeper than just a simple bug bite, Hope was beginning to realize with dismay. She glanced at Coran, who leaned over Keith and made sure the boy was aware before administering the shot. Keith barely reacted in the slightest. After placing a bandage above the one already there, Coran moved away to one of the supply closets, leaving Hope virtually alone with the distressed red paladin. She bit back the urge to sigh, knowing it would probably give Keith the wrong impression. The last thing she wanted was to make him think he was causing her any distress or exasperation. Judging by what Pidge had said, that was the root of all their current grief.

 _What are we missing?_ She wondered. _What are we doing wrong? Why is this still an issue for him? Does he not see that we care?_

"Oh, Keith." She said, not knowing what else to say in the moment, and tightened her grip on his hand. She would have hugged him if she didn't know the movement would only upset his head even more. The painkillers would take a little while to kick in. But it was hard to resist the urge. Keith looked worse now than he did the last time the two of them were together in the medbay, when she was patching him up after his encounter with the Blade of Marmora. What had she said to him then?

"Keith," she began gently, placing both of his hands between her own, "would you like to talk about it? Maybe tell me why you think you're such a burden and what we can do to help?"

"It-it's nothing." He said, voice cracking. "It's stupid, really."

"It's really not." Hope replied. "Remember when I was helping you after the Blade of Marmora used you as a punching bag? Remember when we sat together in the Black Lion right before Shiro turned up? I helped you because I _wanted_ to. Why would you think you're only a burden on us? If you were really a burden, would I want to help you?"

"It's not that." Keith sniffled. Coran appeared with a box of tissues, then moved off again. Keith blew his nose before speaking again. "I guess…I know you all care for me – that's not the problem." He shifted uncomfortably, and Hope let go of his hand. There was a brief moment of silence where she waited patiently for Keith to continue, all while silent tears were still running down his face.

"I-I know you are all there for me. But I keep messing up and creating problems for you. I've created more problems than I've solved and my Galra heritage only makes it worse."

More silent tears slid down Keith's cheeks and Hope found her own eyes becoming blurry. A noise at the door drew both of their attentions away from each other, enough for Hope to sniffle quietly into the corner of her poncho. Shiro had just come in the door, wearing the black paladin robe and matching slippers. But Hope was too upset to feel relieved that Shiro was here, that he'd know what to do. Her heart felt like it was slowly being crushed, and she began to understand a little of what Keith must be feeling on a regular basis. How long had he suffered silently like this, feeling like he wasn't worth the time or effort to help?

"Hey, there." Said Shiro, coming over and sitting on the other side of the bed and patting Keith's right shoulder affectionately. "How're you feeling?" His brows were narrowed in that softly concerned look that belied his impressive physique. It was hard to imagine such a chiseled face looking soft, but that was Shiro all over. He was a walking contradiction to all those gruff, stone-faced leader stereotypes.

Keith sniffled and wiped his nose with the blanket draped across his chest. "Like crap."

Shiro glanced at Hope, noting her teary eyes, then looked back at Keith. "Physically, or emotionally?"

Keith looked down at his hands, which were twisting the blanket in his lap. "Both."

Shiro looked at Hope again, who shook her head sadly, unable to speak for the lump in her throat. Coran unexpectedly materialized at Shiro's side, looking down at a small datapad.

"How are you feeling, Number Four? Those painkillers starting to take effect?"

"A little." Keith answered. "Thanks, Coran."

"Not to worry, my boy. You just rest and get better." He turned to Shiro and Hope. "I'm going to turn back in, if you don't mind. Everything should be sorted, and the medicine should be kicking in fully any tick. Call me if you need anything more."

"Thank you, Coran." Said Shiro, taking the datapad from the man's hands. "Would you mind taking Pidge's laptop to her on your way back?"

With a nod of assent, Coran gathered up the computer and its power cord and shuffled out of the room, his bare feet making a strange flapping noise on the metal floor.

Keith was still crying silently, the glistening of the Altean lights on his face the only indication of it. He took a deep, shuddering breath, and shifted on the bed.

"Careful, you'll upset the bandages." Said Shiro, reaching up to adjust the pillow behind Keith's head. "Now, can you tell me what's going on? Is it a Galra thing, or something else?"

"Galra." Keith's voice was barely above a whisper. He looked staunchly at the textured blanket over his legs, avoiding Hope and Shiro's concerned gazes. "I just – I've always had trouble with others. I don't get along with people, and I don't really understand all my emotions. I'm the loner, or the hothead, or whatever you'd like to call me. My being Galra only adds to that. One more reason that I'm different from everyone else."

"Do you feel being Galra is why you have trouble?"

Keith's bottom lip quivered, and he nodded slowly. Hope felt her heart melt completely and sink to the bottoms of her feet. She took a deep breath and spoke before Shiro did.

"Keith," she said shakily, trying to keep it together for Keith's sake, when all she really wanted to do was hug him until everything was better. "Remember when you told me you had Galra blood? You were worried we would hate you for it. Remember what I said? It was something Hunk told me once. _None of us will think any less of you for being who you are_. We don't care if you're Galra, and so what if you're a little awkward around people? It's what makes you _you_. And we still love you and would never think of you as a burden."

"Hope is right." Said Shiro, and Keith finally lifted his eyes to look at Shiro's earnest face. "I took you out of that group home because I saw greatness in you, Keith. But no one becomes great on their own. You have other people who love you and don't think of you as a burden. Remember when we got stranded together after I was hurt? You had to protect me. And then a few weeks ago, when you rescued me from that Galra fighter. Does that make me a burden on all of you?"

"No." Keith sniffled.

"Why did you save me, Keith? You could have let those animals finish me off. Why didn't you?"

"Because I love you." Keith said, looking at Shiro like that was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Keith, we're not perfect." Said Hope, taking his hand again and grasping it between both of her own. "We're a bunch of misfits that don't always get along and aren't always going to work perfectly together. But we're a family, and that includes you. And we don't judge a family member for needing help. You're worth it."

"I-I'm worth it?" Keith repeated breathlessly.

" _Yes._ " Hope said, reaching over and brushing a few tears away from Keith's cheek.

"Of course you are." Said Shiro. "You're okay, Keith. It's alright to lean on other people. We'll be here to help you back on your feet."

Hope became aware of a movement behind her just as Keith's gaze flicked toward the door. Hope and Shiro both turned to find Lance, Pidge, and Hunk standing in the open doorway. They were all wearing their pajamas (Pidge still had an orange blanket draped across her shoulders) and were frowning with concern at the sad little group on the other side of the medbay.

"Keith, man, are you okay?" Hunk asked as they approached the bed.

"Pidge told us you weren't feeling too hot." Said Lance, sliding right over an opportunity for a joke, Hope noticed with surprise. She guessed he felt it wasn't the right time, and she silently agreed. "Is there anything we can do for you?"

Keith stared, gaping slightly at the sight of all his friends gathered around his sickbed, looking down at him with concerned faces. He took a few shuddering breaths before speaking.

"I-I…" He started, before a choked hiccup stopped him in his tracks. He took another deep breath before trying again.

"I thought you were all mad at me for being such a bad leader. I'm the loner. I didn't think I was worth all your attention."

Pidge stamped her foot, startling Hope a little with her explosive frustration. "I am so sorry I ever said that. I totally didn't mean it this way."

"It's okay, Pidge." Said Keith weakly.

"It's _so_ not."

"But hopefully you've realized by now that you _matter_." Said Hunk. "We'll never think of you as a burden."

"We wouldn't be a family without you, Keith." Said Lance.

As if his words were the final blow on the walls holding Keith's emotions back, Keith burst into tears, unable to hold them back any longer. At that, like they were following a cue, the other paladins moved closer to Keith, surrounding him and putting their hands on his arms and shoulders. Hope snuggled closer until she was right up against his left side, being careful to avoid the bandages. Pidge wormed her way between Keith's right side and Shiro, who scooted close to put his arms around them both. Meanwhile Hunk and Lance each took a side, standing above Hope and Shiro and putting their hands on Keith's shoulders. No one had a dry eye by this point, and they stayed like that, sniffling and crying together as one until Keith fell asleep.


End file.
